[Locke]

Originally Posted by Stealth22

I honestly don't know why this is being debated. They are police officers, and their job does not change with the color of their vehicles.

Your experience with any given CPS constable, regardless of him/her being a "bad apple" or a "good apple" is going to be exactly the same, whether the color of the cruiser is black, white, blue, yellow, pink, or lavender.

They're the same people that are going to respond when you call 911, or pull you over for speeding. I don't see how it makes a difference.

With all due respect, I genuinely don't understand that point of view. If you have a five year old son, he's likely going to be fascinated with the flashing red and blue lights every time he sees a police car. Whether that car is black or white bears no difference in his mind. As long as that officer isn't wrestling with a suspect, he's still going to smile and shake the kid's hand all the same.

I've brought this up in this thread before, but if there's a citizen who needs immediate help, for whatever reason, and he/she spots a passing police cruiser, they're going to flag down that officer and shout for help, no matter what the color of the vehicle is.

That being said, this has been debated for who knows how long, and no one in this thread is really going to change their point of view. Some people think the new cruisers look aggressive, and some don't. I think part of that perspective comes from how that particular vehicle (Ford Police Interceptor) looks in black, compared to the 'less sleek' look of the Crown Victoria. Compare that with the new Dodge Charger, which could be perceived as "aggressive looking", no matter what color it is.

I personally don't understand how a piece of metal with four wheels and an engine could be viewed as "menacing", but everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But how much does the color of your local police vehicles really affect your life?

The CPS has purchased the vehicles, and changed the livery...so what? A cop car is a cop car. And they're not going to change the design just because some people on an online forum think they should.

I guess what I'm trying to say is...does it really matter?

Really? You dont understand 'how something looks' can change someone's perception of that thing?

Well...better tell marketing departments all across the world to pack up their stuff.

I know what you're getting at, and I posted a few pages back that I totally agreed with that when they brought them in, and now I've changed my mind with time and experience.

They look aggressive. And if you want to see the downside of aggressive law enforcement, be that aggression real, perceived or otherwise, just look south.

All people have been saying is that the police went and made a conscious decision to change how they are being perceived and what their public image is going to be, and that is what it is, most people see the car not the cop, and that public perception has escalated in aggression.

I think most police officers would like the benefit of a positive public perception before going into any situation so it makes it seem like we're all on the same side here and it makes people more cooperative.